Register of Cree and Naskapi Beneficiaries

Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux

A person who is enrolled in the Register of Cree and Naskapi Beneficiaries has certain rights and privileges. If your newborn meets the eligibility criteria set out in the Act Respecting Cree, Inuit and Naskapi Native Persons, you can enroll the child in the Register.

The Register of Cree and Naskapi Beneficiaries is a government register maintained by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. A general secretary, appointed at the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, is responsible for Cree and Naskapi beneficiary enrollment. The beneficiaries concerned are those of:

The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA);

The Northeastern Quebec Agreement (NEQA).

In order to enjoy the rights, privileges and benefits granted under either of these agreements, people who are entitled to enrollment as Cree or Naskapi beneficiaries must first be recognized as belonging to their respective communities.

The Register of Cree and Naskapi Beneficiaries serves the following purposes:

Lists the names of individuals entitled to enrollment as Cree or Naskapi beneficiaries;

Keeps up to date the information regarding beneficiaries of the JBNQA and the NEQA;

Validates census-related data concerning the Native population;

Grants rights and privileges to beneficiaries.

In addition, the data contained in the Register are used daily for the purpose of implementing a number of government, para-government and private programs and measures, including:

The Cree and Naskapi Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Support Program;

Support to entrepreneurs;

Preferential hiring for federal government positions;

Payment of compensation;

Land claims;

Post-secondary education;

Healthcare services uninsured in the territory.

The Register is also a daily source of information for a number of provincial and federal government departments and agencies, as well as for some external partners, including:

The Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board;

The Ministère de l'Éducation, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche;

The Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale;

The Secrétariat aux affaires autochtones;

The Ministère de la Justice;

School boards and regional boards;

Hydro-Québec;

The Grand Council of the Crees.

Since the clientele and the conditions vary according to the service, the information is provided under each service.

A register listing the beneficiaries belonging to the Cree and Inuit peoples has existed since November 1975 and a register listing beneficiaries belonging to the Naskapi people, since January 1978. The register for the Inuit was entrusted to the Makivik Corporation on May 1, 2006 following the signing of Complementary Agreement No. 18. Since then, the Register of Cree and Naskapi Beneficiaries has existed as we know it today.